


no other version of me i would rather be tonight

by hypathetical



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), ThorBruce Secret Santa 2018, infinity war? never heard of her, thanos? who?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypathetical/pseuds/hypathetical
Summary: Bruce and Thor, falling in love in space. Simple as that.





	no other version of me i would rather be tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Steel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steel/) as part of the [ThorBruce Secret Santa 2018](https://thorbrucesecretsanta.tumblr.com/). I had so much fun writing this, and I love the [fic](https://thorbrucesecretsanta.tumblr.com/post/181317175232/who-needs-tinsel-when-youve-got-mistletoe) I received too!
> 
> Fic title from [Jackie and Wilson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucia0kcgkeM) by Hozier.

Life aboard the  _ Statesman _ was surprisingly...well, Bruce didn’t want to say  _ nice _ , but, better than most of the places he’d stayed at on Earth, for sure. One would think that having the equivalent of an entire small town crammed onto one spaceship would cause problems, but from what Thor had told Bruce, it seemed like the Asgardians had been through a lot of shit in the last decade or so. Who knows, maybe space travel was the least of their worries.

Either way, there wasn’t a ton of room, which is how Bruce ended up literally sharing quarters with the god of thunder. Not that there was any problem with that, of course. Thor was a great roommate. He cleaned up after himself surprisingly well for someone who spent most of his life with servants, he didn’t mind Bruce talking to himself as he typed things up, and, well. Y’know. He wasn’t exactly  _ difficult _ to look at.

They didn’t really have days and nights aboard the ship, but Bruce kept track of time in 24-hour increments anyways to avoid losing his mind thinking about the vastness of space and their own insignificance amongst the cosmos—anyways. Thor had seen Bruce using the Earth-day system and thought it was a good idea, so now the whole ship operated in 24-hour cycles. The routine of having a day to measure and follow seemed to make everyone a bit calmer.

It was late in the night cycle (or early in the morning cycle, depending on how you looked at it), about a week since they’d escaped the ruins of Asgard. Bruce was still awake, typing up an idea for a project he’d had, tapping at a tablet that one of the Asgardians was kind enough to lend him. Now that he was sharing a bed with Thor, Bruce tried to be more mindful of things like being awake at ridiculous hours and making unnecessary noise, but sometimes it was peaceful. Thor’s sleeping face was illuminated by the soft glow of the tablet, and although Bruce missed his long hair, he also had eyes and common sense, so he knew that Thor was beautiful no matter what he looked like.

Did that sound kinda gay? Yeah, it did. Bruce...he hated saying he  _ liked _ Thor, because he was getting older now, he wasn’t a damn teenager. But he did like Thor, and more than was probably normal for just friends. He’d admired Thor ever since their first meeting as Avengers, and now that he was spending time with him every day, that small little ball of happiness in Bruce’s chest had grown into this big, crushing thing that threatened to collapse his lungs (but in a good way?) every time Thor smiled.

Okay, so maybe he was a little gone on Thor. But it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. Thor had just lost his dad and his entire home planet, for crying out loud. Those weren’t exactly the best circumstances for starting a relationship. Still, a guy could dream, right? And dream Bruce did. Actually, he should probably stop thinking about the kind of dreams Thor made him have, especially if he didn’t want to have to make a mad dash for the bathroom unit to save his dignity.

Anyways. Bruce was doing just fine on the  _ Statesman _ and he wouldn’t have it any other way,  _ thank you very much _ .

-

“You know, Bruce, I never thanked you for what you did back there on Asgard.”

Bruce looked up from his lunch, surprised. “Did what?”

He was sitting at a table in the cafeteria of the ship, eating the Sakaarian equivalent of astronaut powdered food along with Thor.

Thor gave Bruce a fond look before going back to his previous serious expression. “You told me that Hulk could have taken over forever, that there would be no ‘you’ left. And yet you still transformed in order to help us save my people from Hela. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.”

Bruce blinked. He hadn’t even considered the magnitude of what he’d been doing at the time. “It’s no big deal, Thor. You do the same for Earth’s people all the time.”

Thor shook his head. “My duty as Asgard’s king is to protect all of the Nine Realms—or, at least, those of them that will accept my help. You, however, had no loyalty to Asgard, yet you still made that sacrifice.”

Bruce was sure he had a big, dumb smile on his face as they spoke. “Let’s call it even, okay? You saved Earth, I saved Asgard. At the end of the day, we both have our people.” Bruce paused. “Well, I kinda like your people more than Earth’s sometimes, but that’s a discussion for another day.”

Thor gave Bruce a grin in return. “Ha! So you  _ do _ like our people.”

“Wait, what?” Bruce was confused now. “When did I ever say I didn’t like Asgard?”

“Well, you know…” Thor glanced down at his now-empty plate. “We’re a lot different from Midgardians. We’re loud, and fight a lot, and I wasn’t sure that those characteristics would match well with yours.”

Now it was Bruce’s turn to shake his head. “Are you kidding me? Hulk loves that kind of stuff. He’s been wanting a turn in control ever since he saw you and Brunnhilde sparring. But even beyond that...of course I love your people, Thor. They’ve been so welcoming to me in a way that Earth hasn’t always been, and I really appreciate that.”

Thor looked nearly close to tears, like a proud father rather than a godly king. “I am so glad you think so, Bruce. Asgard is honored to count you amongst our people.”

Now it was Bruce’s turn to get a little teary-eyed.

-

Thor sometimes felt as though he could never hold on to a good thing for very long. When he was younger, it was like living in eternal sunshine: plenty to eat, sparring every day, joking around with Loki, and spending time with his parents. Now, things were so much different.

Odin was never a perfect father, and Thor had become increasingly aware of this with Loki, and now Hela. Although he had been the favored son, he could not excuse the way Odin had treated either of his siblings, or some of the other Nine Realms. And yet...it still hurt that he was gone. Thor had lost both his parents, a sizeable portion of his people, and now his own planet in a span of time that most Asgardians would barely blink at.

It hurt, in a bone-deep way that no physical wound ever would. But Thor did what he could to carry on, for the sake of himself, his teammates, and the people of Asgard. Just because he was suffering did not mean anyone else was not, as well. Right now, considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t do for the king to seem weak.

The only person Thor felt comfortable being vulnerable around was Bruce. At night, in their room, they would lay down next to each other on the bed, facing the ceiling, and share things that they couldn’t tell anyone else. Bruce spoke of his time on Midgard, running from a military general, or being hurt as a child, and Thor found his hands shaking with rage even as he tried to be a source of comfort. It was hard to listen to someone he lo—er,  _ cared for _ —suffering when there was nothing he could do.

In turn, Thor told Bruce how isolated he sometimes felt, how unsure he was of Asgard’s future, especially if the Avengers could not negotiate a place for the people to stay. He had rejected the throne in the past for a reason, and now there was no one left to lead except him. Well, maybe Loki, but unfortunately theatre productions could not solve all their problems, and Loki was still only tentatively trusted by many of Asgard’s citizens.

But no matter how terrible the circumstances, past or present, they still had each other. Every time Thor found himself spiraling down, Bruce was always there to place a comforting hand on his, and offer words of comfort. After one particularly rough night, they had sat up and embraced each other for a long while, a meaningful silence between them. Thor felt like part of the weight on his shoulders had toppled off.

He was so grateful for Bruce’s presence in his life, even beyond the impromptu therapy sessions. Every time Bruce smiled, or cheered when he solved a particularly difficult equation, or helped an Asgardian understand an aspect of life on Midgard, Thor felt as though his heart was going to burst from his chest, a grin plastered on his face. He cared for Bruce so deeply, and could only hope that he felt the same. Nevertheless, Thor knew that Bruce was shy about intimacy, even more than most Midgardians, so he elected to be patient. After all, they had all the time in the galaxy ahead of them.

-

Thor thought he had been doing an excellent job of being subtle. He never pushed Bruce into any overtly romantic situation, and tried to keep in mind all the boundaries he had learned about on Midgard. Apparently, though, this was not enough.

He was in a room on the ship that had been converted from being used for “pleasure” (Thor knew the ship had been thoroughly cleaned, but he was still wary of touching any flat surfaces) to serving as a meeting room. Heimdall, Loki, Korg (and Miek, by extension), Bruce, and Brunnhilde had all gathered with Thor as they made plans for what to do upon their return to Earth. Bruce was telling them all about an Ice-Land, where apparently the language was very similar to Asgard’s, and their cultural ways would be more accepted. Thor had hoped that the Asgardians could experience New York City, but Bruce said something about a “former war criminal” and “disturbance of the peace,” so they’d had to scrap that idea.

Thor hadn’t realized he had zoned off while looking at Bruce until Brunnhilde snapped her fingers impatiently in his face. “Hello? Majesty, or whatever? Your boyfriend just asked you a question.”

“What?” Thor shook his head. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Brunnhilde and Loki made noises of disagreement at the same time, while everyone else in the room seemed mildly uncomfortable. Bruce was turning a lovely shade of red, which in turn made Thor feel like there suddenly wasn’t enough oxygen on the ship.

“Oh, I get it,” Thor said in a knowing tone. “You think Bruce is my boyfriend just because we spend time together, share a bed every night…” Thor began counting things off on his fingers. “We talk about science with each other, we hug a lot, we—wait.”

Brunnhilde and Korg full-on burst into laughter, while Loki and Heimdall looked far too smug.

Thor jolted, as if he had been on the receiving end of some electricity, for once. “Bruce, have we been dating? Or, er, sorry, did you, ah, want to be?”

Bruce looked like he was about to have a heart attack, but also that he could die happy, if so. “I mean, yeah, Thor...if you wanna date, I’m pretty sure it’s obvious I’m attracted to you.”

Thor beamed. “Excellent!” He practically scooped Bruce up into a hug, unaware that Bruce’s feet were dangling several inches off the ground. “Does that mean I may kiss you now? I remember that Midgardians typically save that for intimate partners.”

“You know we’re still here, right?” Loki cut in, gesturing to the others.

Thor shrugged. “Am I supposed to be ashamed of my love?”

“I suppose not.” Loki rolled his eyes, then turned to leave the room. “Enjoy yourself, then, brother.”

Everyone else sort of followed suit, with Heimdall simply giving them a knowing nod, Brunnhilde clapping Bruce on the shoulder so hard that he nearly fell over, and Korg offering a big thumbs up. By the time it was down to just the two of them, Bruce seemed to have retreated back into himself a bit.

“Sorry, uh…” Bruce scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I guess the whole ship is gonna know about us soon enough, huh?”

Thor tossed his head back, a habit borne from a lifetime of previously-long hair. “I meant what I said to Loki. I’m not ashamed to be with you, Bruce Banner.”

Bruce grinned, even as his natural instinct was clearly to shy away. “Thanks, Thor. I’m, y’know, really glad you think so. I feel the same way.”

Thor took a step into what was definitely Bruce’s personal space. “So about that kiss…”

“Yeah?” Bruce asked, before closing the distance between them.

Thor would have been content to stay like that forever, with Bruce held close and their lips even closer, but eventually they did have to break apart for air. Bruce’s hair was standing on end, and Thor had a feeling that one was on him.

“You think we can make this work?” Bruce had a lot of color in his cheeks, and he couldn’t seem to stop smiling, even as he posed a more serious question.

Thor took both of Bruce’s hands in his. “I know we can.”


End file.
